farming deep in climate change: the west australia experience
DESCRIPTION
Tim Wiley is an agronomist with the West Australian Department of Agriculture & Food. He is also a leading member of the soil carbon movement and contributes to the debate at a national level. Tim has lived through the first major Climate Change disaster to strike a western nation, the long drought in WA. His leadership and strength has helped many landholders in the west to hang on.TRANSCRIPT
Climate change in the Northern Agriculture Region of WA
- threats and opportunities
Tim Wiley,Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia
Geraldton
Yearly Rainfall Lynton, Northampton shire, WA
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100
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1914
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1929
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2005
mm
Plant available rainfallLynton, Northampton shire, WA
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100
200
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1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
mm
“High stocking rate grazing systems to reduce erosion”Northern Agri Group with NLP, NACC & DAFWA
• Farmers recorded stock movements 06/07
• DAFWA calculated grazing days for each paddock
• DAFWA measured ground cover in May 2007
Sand storm 9 April 2007
Annual pasture on sand
30 May 2007
Crop stubble at Murray Carson’s
Perennial grass pasture& tagasaste
y = -10.184x + 66.494
R2 = 0.597
y = -6.4896x + 24.265
R2 = 0.3309
y = -24.92x + 48.578
R2 = 0.5653
y = -7.0001x + 79.94
R2 = 0.8724
0
25
50
75
0 2 4 6 8
Dry Sheep Equivalents / Ha
Gro
und
cove
r %
Annuals on gravel
Annuals on sand
Tagasaste
Perennials
Wheat stuble
Sown fodder
Lupin stubble
Linear (Perennials)
Jim Wedge’s ASCAS, October 2008Soil Corer
Bulk Density sampling
Carson May 2008
Bain February 2008
Gillam Q&Q March 2007
‘Whole soil’ Organic C in the top 30 cm of soil - annuals vs. perennialsPaired paddock sampling
Paddocks Pasture OC% Bulk Density C t/ha CO2e t/ha/yr
Nixon Annual 0.41 1.60 19.7
Perennial 0.66 1.60 31.5 10.8
Wilson Annual 0.80 1.57 37.7
Perennial 0.94 1.57 44.3 6.0
Forsyth Annual 0.32 1.61 15.5
Perennial 0.45 1.61 21.6 3.7
Bain Annual 0.59 1.60 28.1
Perennial 0.83 1.60 40.0 11.6
Bain Annual 0.63 1.60 30.4
Perennial 0.60 1.60 28.7 -1.6
Carson Annual 0.56 1.38 23.2
Perennial 0.69 1.37 28.2 3.9
‘Whole soil’ Organic C in the top 30 cm of soil - annuals vs. perennialsTrial site Pasture Organic C % Bulk Density C t/ha CO2e t/ha/yr
Combes A Annual 0.53 1.38 22.0
Green panic 0.64 1.38 26.5 6.1
Rhodes 0.64 1.38 26.6 6.1
Kikuyu 0.70 1.38 29.0 9.4
Lotononis 0.82 1.38 33.9 16.0
Combes B Annual 0.47 1.48 20.9
Rhodes 0.58 1.47 25.6 6.3
Lucerne 0.56 1.47 24.7 5.1
Gillam Annual 0.47 1.28 17.9
Rhodes 0.48 1.43 20.6 2.7
Green panic 0.52 1.43 22.3 4.4
Signal grass 0.52 1.43 22.5 4.5
Metcalfe Annual 0.79 1.47 34.7
Rhodes 0.93 1.47 40.8 8.1
Kikuyu 0.84 1.47 37.0 3.1
Lucerne 0.96 1.47 42.1 9.9
Siratro 0.91 1.47 40.1 7.2
Bambatsi panic 0.91 1.47 40.1 7.2
Green panic 0.77 1.47 34.0 -1.0
Couch 0.83 1.47 36.4 2.2
BRS Annual 0.44 1.42 21.0
Kikuyu 0.75 1.37 36.2 11.7
Rhodes 0.59 1.37 28.2 5.6